<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>Target</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="demo.css">

    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/jquery/1.12.3/jquery.min.js"></script>
    <script src="../dist/jquery.validator.js?local=en"></script>
</head>

<body>

<form class="form" data-validator-option="{timely:2, theme:'yellow_right'}">
    <h3>Target to other input</h3>
    <div class="form-item">
        <label class="label">Name</label>
        <input type="text" class="input-sm" name="firstName" data-target="#lastName" data-rule="required" placeholder="First Name">
        <input type="text" class="input-sm" name="lastName" id="lastName" data-rule="required" placeholder="Last Name">
    </div>
    <div class="form-item">
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </div>
</form>


<form class="form" data-validator-option="{timely:2, theme:'simple_right'}">
    <h3>Target to "msg-box"</h3>
    <div class="form-item">
        <input type="text" name="name" data-rule="Name:required" data-target="#holdMsg" placeholder="Name">
    </div>
    <div class="form-item">
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
        <span class="msg-box" id="holdMsg"></span>
    </div>
</form>


<form class="form" data-validator-option="{timely:2}">
    <h3>Target to a container</h3>
    <div id="msgContainer"></div>
    <div class="form-item">
        <input type="text" name="name" data-rule="Name:required" data-target="#msgContainer">
    </div>
    <div class="form-item">
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </div>
</form>


<form class="form" id="form4">
    <h3>Dynamic message place.</h3>
    <div class="form-item">
        <label class="label">Name</label>
        <input type="text" class="input-sm" name="firstName" data-rule="required" placeholder="First Name">
        <input type="text" class="input-sm" name="lastName"  data-rule="required" placeholder="Last Name">
    </div>
    <div class="form-item">
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </div>
</form>
<script>
$('#form4').validator({
    timely:2,
    stopOnError: true,
    display: function(input) {
        return $(input).attr('placeholder');
    },
    target: function(input) {
        var $formitem = $(input).closest('.form-item'),
            $msgbox = $formitem.find('span.msg-box');
        if (!$msgbox.length) {
            $msgbox = $('<span class="msg-box"></span>').appendTo($formitem);
        }
        return $msgbox;
    }
});
</script>


</body>
</html>